Booker’s Bourbon 2023-02 ‘Apprentice Batch’ Review | The Daily Pour
Skip to main content
App
Follow
Booker’s Bourbon 2023-02 ‘Apprentice Batch’ spirit image
87Great

Booker’s Bourbon 2023-02 ‘Apprentice Batch’

Bourbon Beam Booker's Bourbon
  • Distiller

    Beam

  • Bottler

    Beam

  • ABV

    62.75%%

  • Age

    7 years, 1 month, 2 days

  • Price $100 to $199.99

This is the latest bourbon from Booker's, a brand under James B. Beam Distilling Co. that is traditionally launched by the Noe family. Booker’s 2023-02 is named "Apprentice Batch" as an ode to the early part of former Beam master distiller Booker Noe’s career. Shortly after joining the Jim Beam Distillery in 1952, Noe served as an apprentice to his cousin, Carl Beam, who taught him the ropes of the trade. This bourbon was selected by Booker Noe's son, seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe.

Suggested Cocktails
Aggregated Reviews
  • Raided Score: 88
  • Drinkhacker
  • By David Thomas Tao
  • This release leans into the sweeter side of the Booker’s spectrum with reduced nut notes and almost absent savory flavors. Its weakest aspect is the nose, though the palate improves noticeably with both time and water, and the finish is plenty long and warming.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 92
  • The Whiskey Wash
  • By Jeffrey Nitschke
  • This whiskey is not looking for subtlety and nuance. The constant shifting of flavors lends itself to appreciating the whiskey as a whole rather than as one specific thing.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 80
  • The Daily Pour
  • By The Daily Pour Staff
  • Overall, this batch is a miss for Booker's. It's sort of humorous because to generally enjoy Bookers you need to be OK with a level of hefty heat, but this is too much even for enjoyers of punchy bourbons.
  • Read Full Review

Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.

House Review
  • Nose:

    Huge peanut notes, plus apple, pear and some fig. Lots of fruits, which is unusual for a Booker's release. The peanut is more present than usual, but the introduction of stone fruit on the nose is unusual and interesting.

  • Taste:

    Heavy ethanol on the palate, sharp and prickly on the tongue. This delivers the most heat I've had on a Booker's in years. Apples, pears, brown sugar, a kick of oak, then back to hot and punchy.

  • Finish:

    Long and once again hot, punchy and just oozing with ethanol. The fruit is present and fun, but it's hard to see through with this much ethanol on the finish.

  • Overall:

    Overall, this batch is a miss for Booker's. It's sort of humorous because to generally enjoy Bookers you need to be OK with a level of hefty heat, but this is too much even for enjoyers of punchy bourbons.

  • Score:

    80

  • Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.

  • By The Daily Pour Staff
  • Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources